HoD to Consider Membership Simplification

April 2012By Jeff Lund

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

I look forward to seeing each of the delegates at the annual meeting of the House of Delegates (HoD), which will be held at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 22, in the Hyatt Regency Hotel’s Ballroom A/B/C, Long Beach, Calif.

Registration will begin at 7 a.m.

We expect a record number of delegates and guests. Attendees will include past AAPG presidents, past chairs of the HoD, AAPG officer candidates, young professionals, AAPG staff and invited guests.

There are some legislative issues before us. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee under the leadership of David Entzminger, will present proposed Bylaws amendments regarding the Strategic Plan and Membership Simplification. The proposals are available on the AAPG website, along with an area for discussion and comments.

The HoD also will hear reports on the status of AAPG – including membership, finances, publications, the AAPG Foundation and the AAPG Divisions – and we will recognize meritorious members for their HoD service.

AAPG President Paul Weimer will address us, as will AAPG Executive Director David Curtiss.

Each of our HoD committee chairs will provide a report and introduce the hard-working members who served on their committee.

♦ The Resolutions Committee, chaired by Dennis Moore, has worked contacting societies that had lagged with their delegate appointments or elections and motivated them to act on their responsibility to have representation at the Houston meeting.

♦ Sandi Barber has chaired the Rules and Procedures Committee, which has experienced a relatively quiet year having addressed many issues last year under Sandi’s leadership.

♦ The Honors and Awards Committee, ably chaired by Laura Zahm, had a number of qualified people to consider as recipients for the awards the House annually presents.

♦ Sigrunn Johnsen chaired the Nomination and Election Committee, which sought and received recommendations for persons to be nominated for the HoD offices of chair-elect and secretary/editor.

♦ David Cook chaired the Newsletter Committee, with the assistance of Rob Diedrich as vice chair. This committee has worked to continue the high quality and timeliness of Delegates’ Voice issues.

♦ The Credentials Committee, chaired by David Dolph, has been keeping track of the changes in delegates for the affiliated societies and the Regions. The committee will coordinate and check-in delegates prior to seating them in the voting section for the annual meeting. Guests and alternate delegates awaiting credential confirmation will be seated in the non-voting area.

There is time on the agenda for AAPG officer candidates to acquaint us with their positions and reasons for allowing their name to be placed on the ballot. We’ll also hear from the candidates for HoD chair and secretary – and vote.

Concluding our agenda will be time for new business. Refreshments will be available throughout the session.

This year it has been my pleasure and great honor to serve the AAPG House of Delegates with two other fine HoD officers, Randy Ray, chair-elect, and David Cook, secretary/editor. We have worked smoothly as a team-advising, seeking answers, receiving input, assigning tasks and making decisions.

Our work was enhanced and enabled by the diligent and thoughtful efforts of the HoD committee chairs, vice chairs and members who worked tirelessly to be fair, thorough and meet deadlines. They were very successful in fulfilling their missions. All of us met for a productive mid-year meeting in Houston.